It is, of course, generally known to utilize pipes for the transport of fluids under high pressure. Oil and gas drilling and mining requires a length of pipe to be sunk into a well disposed through the earth to reach pockets of petroleum oil and gas that may be disposed beneath the earth's surface. In some cases, pipes may reach extreme lengths to extract petroleum oil and gas from deep within the earth.
Typically, a well is sunk, whether vertically, angled, or even horizontally through the earth to reach the pockets of petroleum oil and/or gas. A drill bit is utilized to reach the necessary depths and create the well. A pipe casing is typically disposed within the well to reinforce the well, and control the flow of petroleum products from deep within the earth to the surface. Upon completion of the well and the reinforced pipe casing, the reinforced pipe casing may be utilized to transport the petroleum products to the surface.
Oil and gas drilling, however, may be very dangerous, considering that in many cases the oil and/or gas contained deep within the earth may be at extreme pressures. Caution is typically taken when drilling to prevent the explosive movement of petroleum products (or other fluids) to the surface, which may cause injuries or death to individuals and/or damage to expensive equipment. Moreover, when a well is completed, the transport of petroleum products may be under very high pressures. A blow-out may also occur if the pressure of the petroleum products deep within the earth causes an uncontrolled explosive release through the casing during production. Explosive release of petroleum products, or other fluids, through wells can occur unexpectedly, as pockets of oil and/or gas or other fluids become accessible deep within the earth.
To prevent the explosive release of fluids through a well, blow-out preventers are typically used. The most common type of blow-out preventer is a ram- or shear-type. Generally, a ram-type blow-out preventer utilizes a steel ram or shear blade or a plurality of steel rams or shear blades that, when engaged, uses hydraulic force to rapidly and forcefully squeeze the pipe together at a pinch point or otherwise shear the pipe to restrict or eliminate the flow of fluids through the pipe. Ram-type or shear-type blow-out preventers, while useful, are prone to failure. Indeed, there has been an evolution in the oil and gas industry over the last several decades to include stronger and more durable pipes for use in oil and gas drilling. The stronger and more durable a pipe may be, the more difficult it may be to pinch off the pipe during the closure process to prevent or otherwise stop a blow-out.
Moreover, annular blow-out preventers may be utilized to attempt to effectively cut-off high pressure within a casing. Annular blow-out preventers typically utilize hydraulic pistons to force closed an annular seal, typically made of steel-reinforced rubber. The hydraulic pistons, typically disposed beneath the annular seal, engage the annular seal, driving it to close upon the drill pipe within the casing.
Yet, even with ram or shear-type and annular blow-out preventers installed, catastrophic release of petroleum products is still a common occurrence, and still dominates news. For example, a high profile oil well blow-out in the recent past was the Deepwater Horizon oil well in the Gulf of Mexico. On Apr. 20, 2010, a blow-out occurred on an oil rig platform many miles off the coast of the United States in the Gulf of Mexico, spilling many millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, becoming one of the most serious environmental emergencies in American history. It is not entirely known what caused the blow-out and resulting oil spill, but it is theorized that a pocket of extremely high pressure methane gas traversed the pipe in the well and ignited upon exiting, causing the oil platform to explode, catch fire and sink two days after the blow-out.
Ram-type and annular blow-out preventers had been installed in the Deepwater Horizon platform to prevent or stop a blow-out through the pipe, but for reasons not entirely understood, the blow-out preventer failed. First, it appears that the blow-out preventers did not automatically operate to pinch or shear off the pipe and prevent the spill of oil and gas into the Gulf of Mexico. In addition, when triggered remotely, it appears that the ram failed to pinch or otherwise shear off the pipe adequately. One theory holds that the pipe, disposed through the ram-type blow-out preventer, was bent in the location of the ram at the time of the explosion. When the ram was remotely triggered and closed around the pipe, the ram failed to engage the pipe at the necessary location to close and pinch-off the pipe. Moreover, it appears that power was lost to the blow-out preventers preventing the same from operating properly during the catastrophic event. Thus, a need exists for a more durable and consistent safety system than heretofore utilized to prevent the catastrophic release of fluid from a well due to extreme sudden pressures and extreme velocity fluctuations of fluids, such as liquid and/or gas that may flow therethrough.